


tomorrow is another day

by zyruuu



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Baggage, Gen, Grieving, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and he gets one, excessive use of the word 'fuck', excessive use of the word 'kid', italics for emphasis x3000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21903340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zyruuu/pseuds/zyruuu
Summary: Post-Homecoming - It's the anniversary of Ben's death, and Peter isn't answering his phone.Tony gained a new respect for the aunt turned mother. May was always attractive Aunt May in his mind. But she was so much more than that. Getting Peter at age four, losing her husband only a year ago now (around Christmas no less). She kept on fighting for a kid that she wasn’t even related to by blood (a love like that, loyalty and friendship and stability and family -he yearned for the Avengers).However, May Parker didn’t mould Peter into who he was on her own. He always imagined that it was the extraordinary woman that taught Peter the remarkable sense of responsibility. But, no. It wasn’t something that could be taught with words. It was clear now that it had been Benjamin Parker who taught Pete that with his death. Ben Parker who also raised Pete from the age of four.The man who came before him.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 93





	tomorrow is another day

Pete wasn’t answering his phone.

Which was one: out of character. The kid _always_ messaged him back, no matter the time of day. Even at school, he managed to message back (Tony liked to text him when he was in class because he knew Peter got bored during lessons). And two: extremely worrying. Tony wouldn't say his _sanity_ was dependent on the kid. No, Peter just simply eased his anxiety with his presence. When he was with him, he knew he was safe (lord knows his heart can’t take the stress these days). 

At first, Tony just assumed the kid was busy. He didn’t reply straight away sometimes, and that was _fine_. Perfectly acceptable. Teenagers supposedly spend most of their time on their phones, but Pete didn’t. He wasn’t like most teenagers if the super strength and wall-crawling were any indication.

Pete still hadn’t messaged him back though. At this point, he’d actually prefer to be left on read. 

He knew the kid wasn’t in school right now. Midtown High’s _Twitter,_ of all things, told him that fact. Forest Hills had been the victim of an outbreak of rapid robotic _seagulls_ the previous day and it seemed the school, as well as other schools around Queens, had decided to have a three day weekend to calm down and repair the property damage. It had been reported by multiple witnesses that Spider-Man had webbed up the elusive ‘Seagull-Man’ (Tony did not _giggle_ at the name) near Midtown High and took control of the birds himself, making them fly into a ditch at maximum speed, therefore breaking each other in pieces.

Tony had shot the kid a text with a short _good job bud_ written and ordered two large pizzas to the Parker residence as a present. Pete hadn’t replied then and Tony just assumed he was tired. 

It was now noon of the next day. Tony messaged him two hours ago asking him if he wanted to spend the weekend at the Compound, but he hadn’t even seen the message. Mangled thoughts filled his head; he wondered if the Seagull-bastard had hurt Pete, but the logical voice in his head that sounded a lot like Pepper said that no one saw him take a hit, so he was probably okay. Another voice, this one sounded like _Obie_ , said that his super-teen was upset or mad at him (the word _hate_ floated around his head for far too long). Not-Pep scolded him for thinking that, but his anxiety was a fickle thing. 

He tried calling the kid, but it went straight to voicemail. 

Okay, full-on panic now. Helicopter parent mode activated. His first plan was to track Pete’s StarkPhone4, which probably said a lot about Tony, but he didn’t really care. His kid could be hurt somewhere or being tortured or _experimented on_ – 

The tracker was off, and Tony took a deep breath. Plan B. He called May Parker.

She answered right away.

_“Hey, Tony.”_

“Where’s Peter?”

Tony used his thumb to click the bone in one of his fingers as a cramp began to claw its way through his left arm.

May was silent for a moment, and for a split second, Tony wanted to reach through the phone and shake her for an answer.

 _“He didn’t tell you?”_ Her voice was so small that Tony almost didn't hear it.

“Tell me what?”

_“About Ben.”_

Ben Parker. Electrician. May’s husband and Richard Parker’s brother. Pete’s _uncle._

“What about him?”

May seemed to hesitate but after a beat, pressed on. _“It’s been a year since he died.”_

“Oh.” _Fuck._ “I-Is Pete okay? You know where he is?”

 _“No. I, um, made plans to stay home from work today so we could watch a movie or something, since, uh - I really can’t afford to take time off work and because we need the money, I take a lot of extra shifts - I’m not home much, so I hoped he’d want to just spend the day together.”_ Her voice began to waver over the phone. _“I even planned to have him home from school but it was cancelled anyway. ”_

God, where was he? “May? What happened?”

_“He said he wanted to be alone… Which I get… He probably has a lot of guilt because of what happened. I… He couldn’t even look at me, Tony.”_

“Why would he feel guilty?”

“ _He was there. When Ben died.”_

Jesus, did this kid ever catch a break? Tony’s sore heart ached with the thought of Pete believing he was cursed.

“I’m sorry, May.” He too knew the pain of a lost loved one - an image of his mom appeared in his head. “Are _you_ alright?”

He heard her sniffle over the phone. _“I’m... I’ll be okay. It’s been really hard to… cope - since he died. I love Peter with my entire being, but I got thrown into the deep end here. We got guardianship of Pete when he was four, Ben and I were in our twenties and didn’t really want kids.”_ She took a deep breath before continuing. _“And now? He’s got superpowers. Superpowers! I love him so, so much. He’s all I got left and now… I - I don't know how to bring up an enhanced super-kid. He still keeps secrets, like, all the time. He thinks he’s trying to protect me by keeping me from his other life - and I don't know what to say because what_ can _I say? He walks on the ceiling, he can lift the sofa with one hand. Just - how do I raise someone who has such amazing abilities?”_

Tony gained a new respect for the aunt turned mother. May was always _attractive Aunt May_ in his mind. But she was so much more than that. Getting Peter at age _four_ , losing her husband only a year ago now (around Christmas no less). She kept on fighting for a kid that she wasn’t even related to by blood (a love like that, loyalty and friendship and stability and _family_ \- ~~he yearned for the Avengers~~ ). 

However, May Parker didn’t mould Peter into who he was on her own. He always imagined that it was the extraordinary woman that taught Peter the remarkable sense of responsibility. But, no. It wasn’t something that could be taught with words. It was clear now that it had been Benjamin Parker who taught Pete that with his death. Ben Parker who also raised Pete from the age of four. 

The man who came before him.

It didn’t take long for Tony to realise he had been looking at Pete as his own. It hit him so hard he nearly got whiplash, considering he had only known Peter for six months. He faintly wondered how much can change in such a short period of time. Not to insult Richard or Ben’s memories, but he wanted to care and nurture this wide-eyed little nerd into the wider world. Spider-Man was going to be the best of all of them. Better than him and even better than Cap. Because that was the point, wasn’t it? That’s what they fight for. The future of the human race and most of all, their children - their legacy, and what they leave behind for them. 

He probably wasn’t going to have kids. Not with his obsession with keeping the world safe. Having a kid in this decade would just mean pain for the kid as well as Pepper. He couldn’t do that to her. But Peter - Peter was nearly an adult, with a sense of right and wrong and could comprehend when time was up; he’d already seen it three times in his tragic past. Iron Man’s passing would hurt, sure, but if his death led Pete into a brave new world, where he could just damn well try his best and keep on keeping on as he always did when faced with the impossible, then he would do whatever it took to keep him safe until that day. Spider-Man would be the most worthy of any other superhero out there.

Spider-Man wasn’t the only reason he kept an eye on the kid. Peter was everything he could’ve been if his dad hadn’t been so neglectful and condescending _all the time_. Peter was clever, he was sickeningly optimistic, and a fucking joy to be around. Tony looked at this pint-sized Star Wars fan who would bring his goddamn Legos into _his lab_ and saw redemption for a lifetime of sins. If he could do this one person right, and not fuck it up, then maybe the world would be spared (the Chitauri horde flooded his mind, he didn’t have faith in any god that may be out there, but he prayed for a world where Peter would never have to face that head-on).

“That's why I’m here, May. Who else would be a better teacher? You teach him how to make friends and I’ll teach him how to beat up bullies.”

May laughed, and a grin broke out on his face. _“God... you sound like Ben…”_

He flinched at that. “I’m sorry.”

 _“That’s not a bad thing, you know.”_ He knew May was smiling as she said that. _“I’m glad you and Peter found each other. Pete can defend himself in a fight, but he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s my baby, Tony,_ please _, don't let him get hurt.”_

Tony could tell that there was something else that needed to be said but now wasn’t the time. Peter was still missing. “I’ll find him, May. God any ideas?”

 _“Yeah,”_ there was a rustling on the phone as she stood up. _“Um - try Harlem.”_

“Why there?”

_“It’s where we buried Ben. He liked the jazz nights over there. If… If you go to the graveyard at night you can hear the music.”_

“That our best bet, yeah?” he murmured.

 _“Yeah,”_ she whispered back. He could almost picture her with her eyes closed, swaying on the spot as she listened to imaginary music.

“I’ll call you when I find him.”

His only response was a soft hum. He ended the call, and pressed the corner to his mouth, mourning a man he had never met. Peter was Ben’s legacy, and like hell would Tony let him lose himself. Peter Parker, one day, would be the last Parker standing. It hurt to think about, but seeing as he was a kid, Pete _would_ outlive them all. He needed to learn how to protect himself and others, to love and trust the right people, and more than anything, to be brave. Pete needed to learn to rebuild himself if there ever comes a time where everything around him turns to dust. That mindset - that feeling, it was a hard rut to break out of - one he was trapped in right now. 

He just had to find him.

FRIDAY was already scanning CCTV in Harlem’s graveyards. It would’ve been easier to just ask May which one, but he didn’t want to ask her to relive that. He had to do something before he left anyway. 

“Friday, be a dear and bring up the police report for Ben Parker’s death.”

“‘Course, Boss.”

“Thank you.”

The report flew up in front of him, and he skimmed until he got to the part he wanted.

It seemed Ben had died trying to apprehend a robber in a store. The only other people around had been the clerk and a fourteen-year-old Peter. Ben was just an electrician, his major concern was making sure his nephew was safe. The robber hadn’t expected other shoppers (Tony scoffed, what an idiot), and was surprised by some guy approaching him. He shot Ben and ran out; the robber got away, but _Dennis Carradine_ was later found in an alleyway after an anonymous tip was made to the station. He was found beaten and bloody, near death. The attack was filed as a Daredevil case even though Daredevil doesn't operate outside of Hell’s Kitchen. 

Well, fuck. Had Peter hunted the guy down and nearly beat him to death? Not that Tony _didn’t_ approve. He just didn’t approve of _Peter_ being the one to do it. 

“Baby-girl, when did Spider-Man first start appearing?”

“February of last year.”

_Only a month after Ben’s death?_

“Do we know when Pete got his powers? And how?” 

“You have made a note to ask him, but you haven’t done so.”

“Crap, okay. Do we have a location?”

“Yes, I’ve just uploaded the flight plan to your suit.”

“You’re a lifesaver, hon.”

“You are very welcome, Boss.”

Getting to the city in the suit didn’t take long. Pete was only in Harlem. The neighbourhood wasn’t dangerous for someone like Peter, and it was certainly already protected by one Luke Cage. He increased the flight speed anyway because as far as he was concerned, the kid was alone without his suit. 

The graveyard would’ve been eerie if it wasn’t midday. It was warm out, which was nice, but also seemed… inappropriate. There was a kid in there in mourning. If life were a movie, it would be pouring down and he’d find Pete wearing everyday clothes, soaked to the bone. He’d grab the kid and take him home and they’d live happily ever after.

But this wasn’t a movie; it wasn’t fiction. Peter Parker had three deceased relatives and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. The worst part was that he did it of his own free will. Because he felt he had to. Because he could. Because that’s what heroes did. It’s what selfless people did. ~~But Peter was fifteen, it wasn’t his job to do this, it was Tony’s~~.

He could see the kid now. He was sat with his arms around his knees in front of _three_ graves, good god. Friday zoomed in for him, and he could see his shoulders shaking faintly. He pressed down the urge to comfort him, now certainly wasn’t the time to start parenting the kid, not in front of his previous parents’ graves ( ~~god, that sounded fucked~~ ).

He landed behind his protégé, quickly scanning for anyone else that may be in the area. There was an elderly couple around the corner, but that was all. It was lunchtime on a Friday, after all. 

He saw Peter’s head tilt slightly to the right, so he knew Peter was aware of his presence. Good. That meant he wasn’t drowning in grief. He shoved the thought that Peter had been grieving for most of his life to the back of his mind, he had a job to do. 

He found that he didn’t know what to say. What _do_ you say in this situation? He wasn’t going to just tell the kid he needed to get home. ‘Cause that would be fucked. This whole situation was fucked. Good _god_ , when was anything ever _not_ fucked?

Tony exited the suit, murmured a quiet “sentry mode, Fri,” and sat down next to Peter, crossing his legs. He decided to let Pete take the lead this time, and settled on a simple, “hey.”

Pete didn’t look at him, but he could see that his eyes were red when he moved his head an inch to reply. “Hey.”

The older man glanced at the headstones before returning his gaze to Pete. He inhaled deeply; the kid wasn’t going to say anything. Not about his feelings, or why he turned off his tracker. Well, that was obvious, why else would he turn it off? He wanted to be alone. But alone was something someone like Peter shouldn’t be right now. And by _Thor_ , his kid was hurting. He looked back to the stones, and not taking his eyes off them, he said, “tell me about him.”

Peter didn’t move, keeping his eyes trained on the engraving of _Benjamin Parker, Beloved Husband and Uncle._

“He was…” Peter stopped to sniffle and looked to the ground, “...the best. He - he was always there, you know...?” 

Tony did know. Aunt Peggy and Jarvis’ faces flashed through his mind. He missed them dearly. He was able to keep Jarvis’ memory alive in an AI, and he sometimes noticed Vision staring at him with a small smile and soft eyes (even if AI Jarvis was gone, he was proud of Vision - thinking of the greater good, staying by his side with the Accords, ~~rescuing him from Siberia~~ ). He thought it best to keep on the down-low when Aunt Peggy died, for Steve’s sake ( _and_ _look how well that turned out!_ Obie shouted in his head).

He didn’t dare move in fear of scaring Peter. It was obvious he needed to talk about this, so he stayed silent, letting the kid think.

“When... my parents died, Ben didn't even hesitate to take me in. I know Ben and May didn’t want kids, but he did it anyway. We… He was worried about me. Before he - died. I was planning on telling him what was going on with me when he got shot. I was angry and had headaches all the time and I was ripping my clothes and _breaking things_ -” Peter stopped, his breath wavering. He ripped up some of the grass next to him. “He knew something was up. I’d broken my glasses and trashed the latch on my window… I think… I think he _knew,_ like - knew _what_ I was.”

 _What_ he was? The fuck? “What you are is a kid, Pete. That’s who you were when he died. It wasn’t your responsibility to fight a man with a gun.”

The kid turned to face him, the action surprising Tony, but he didn’t flinch back or show any inclination that he was afraid. He didn’t need Tony thinking he was scared of him. “But I could’ve stopped him! I - I had my powers, I could’ve saved him. If I hadn’t been so…” The anger drained out of Pete, “...so _weak._ ”

“It wasn’t on you, bud.” Is that what Pete thought he was? God, he was anything _but_ that. “You were still getting used to your powers and you weren’t even Spider-Man-”

“-But I was already Spider-Man,” he cut him off. “I… I was looking online for mutant exclusive jobs. You know, like Jessica Jones? Most of them were in the city, but I did do a few. I stole _back_ some lady’s wedding ring, spied on some dude’s wife ‘cause he thought she was cheating; she was, by the way…” Peter stopped again and seemed to debate telling him the next thing. After looking into Tony’s eyes though, he gave in and continued ripping up the grass. “Someone wanted me to enter a fighting ring and split what he bet on. It was scary, but I did one fight. It got money for May and Ben, not that I could tell them where it came from, but I - I didn’t know what I was doing…”

 _Dear god_. Shit like this just begs the question of how many enhanced kids were actually out there, suffering in similar ways. Fucking _mutant jobs_? The _fuck_? “Pete…”

“I was wearing my, uh, homemade suit, but without the shooters n’stuff ‘cause I hadn’t even thought about making webs, I was just focused on the super strength… but I _was_ Spider-Man already…”

Lord, no. It really wasn’t.

“No.” Tony reached out and grasped the kid’s shoulder to look him in the eyes. “Spider-Man is what you _became_. Before? You were just a kid trying to help your family. It’s _okay_ to do things for yourself. Just because you got superpowers doesn’t mean that you had to stop bad guys, or - or that you suddenly knew _how_. The world already did you dirty, kid. The fact that you didn’t become bitter and spiteful is a miracle.”

“Mr Stark…”

“Ah-ah. The adult is talking.” It was Tony’s turn. “Your uncle’s death isn't your fault. It’s the robber’s.”

Peter’s eyes widened, like it wasn’t even something he considered. “N- _No_. I could have stopped him. I didn’t, and that’s on _me_.”

“Even if that were the case, _which it isn’t_. You shouldn’t be living like this.” Tony looked away from Peter’s fucking _Bambi eyes_. “Spider-Man is you redeeming yourself for this irreversible thing, your journey of atonement. Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“I don’t understand,” Peter whispered.

“Kid…” How on earth did this kid keep on going with such guilt? Did he really not get it? “You save lives every day to make up for Ben’s death.” Tony paused. “It’s been a year.”

Fresh tears leaked from the fifteen-year-old’s eyes. “Hey,” Tony murmured, shuffling closer. He reached a hand up to the side of Peter’s face and used his thumb to wipe away a tear. “How many lives have you _saved_ , huh? How many is it gonna take for you to see that Ben would be proud of you?”

Peter shook his head again Tony’s palm. “It’ll never be enough. It - it won’t bring him back. I remember it all the time, _god_ , I - I held him as he - I heard his heart _stop_. Whatever I do, no matter how hard I try, he’ll still be gone. I - I don’t-”

“It’s okay. You’re allowed to cry.” Tony was on the verge of crying with him. “You did your best.”

“My best wasn’t _enough_.”

“It is. It _was_.” He pulled his kid into his arms ( _oh, this is nice_ ). He said he wasn’t going to do this in front of the headstones, but it was also like something compelled him to comfort the kid ( ~~like Richard and Mary and Ben were actually here, with him and Pete~~ ). “What you do, what you swing around risking your life for, that’s what _Ben_ lived for. _You_ are what’s left and _you_ are his legacy. It’s why we have children and why we _love_. Everything we do... is for the future. When you have kids one day, you’ll tell them of the man who made you what you are - that’s how he survives. I say that from my heart, Pete. Ben couldn't be more proud of you; of the man you’ve become. You have to live, so he can too.”

He felt Peter nod softly against his collarbone. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” He rubbed his back tenderly when a sob escaped Pete, arms wrapping themselves around Tony. 

Peter was far too young to be dealing with all this. He was _fifteen_ , for fuck’s sake. He may have experience with losing his loved ones (the _fuck_ ), but there was no way he knew how to process it. Peter had his aunt, and probably a therapist on the side, but the kid kept things from May, she said so herself; and Pete doesn’t seem the type to want to vent to a stranger (neither was he, which was why he asked Bruce, once upon a time - _~~oh, where are you, my friend?~~_ ).

Tony decided right then and there that he’d be there for him, always. That he’d do anything for him. The realisation was terrifying, but he rolled with it with ease. The kid just had that effect. _But how far would he go? Sacrifice? Murder? - Without hesitation or doubt. He’d tear the universe apart for him._

He squeezed Pete tightly in his arms before tapping his shoulder. “C’mon. Your aunt’s worried,” he muttered.

That seemed to snap him out of it. “Shit,” Pete scrambled to his feet, “uh, yeah, okay.”

He grabbed Tony’s outstretched hand and pull him up, using his other hand to rub at his eyes. He looked back at the suit behind, thinking. 

“You didn’t have to fly here…”

“I thought you were up to no good, 'course I did.”

“Sorry…”

“Hey, none of that.” Tony used the crook of his finger to nudge Pete’s chin. Peter smiled. “I’ll call a car. How did you get here, anyway?”

“Uh,” the kid suddenly looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. “I... swung here.”

“You don’t have your suit with you,” Tony deadpanned. “ _Peter_.”

“I had my hood up!”

“Kid, you see these grey hairs?” He pointed to his temples. “This one’s from Coney Island. This one’s from the Rhino guy, and these _million_ are from your inability to keep secrets.”

“Hey! Not my fault your age is showing!”

“You calling me _old_?”

“Maybe.”

“What’s that on your neck?” He pressed the back of his hand on the kid’s throat. “Is your suit giving you a rash? Want me to put _baby_ powder in the suit? Should I make it a feature?”

“Mr _Stark_ ,” he whined. Tony almost gave in. Almost.

“What? You need a diaper?”

“You’re just scared I’ll steal your spotlight.” Peter didn’t sound so sorry now. “I’ll be on the front page everywhere, _including_ the Bugle! You know him and you love him, the Amazing Spider-Man!”

“Yeah, you’ll be on the front page 'cause you swung face-first into another billboard _‘cause_ you were watching your little girlfriend walk home.”

“No, no - _no_ , you do not get to make fun of me anymore, I’ve seen the video of you pissing in your suit.”

“Okay, one, I was _drunk_ , and two, you think I’m ashamed of that? Kid, mark three of your suit has a filtration system in. We can be twinsies!”

“One day you’re gonna wake up and I’ll be taller than you.”

“Why would you say that? Now I gotta cut off your knees.”

“My _knees_?”

**Tony  
** He’s on his way home.

 **May  
** ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> I put Ben’s grave in Harlem cause that’s where it is in the PS4 game. And uh,,, there are jazz clubs in harlem according to google maps so,,, enjoy the VERY lowkey reference to spider-man 3 (i love spider-man 3)
> 
> peter: hey mr stark?  
> tony: yeah?  
> peter: nᵒʷ ᵈᶦᵍ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰis *ˢⁿᵃᵖˢ ᶠᶦⁿᵍᵉʳˢ*  
> tony, turning to dust: kid 𝓌ₕₐₜ ᵗhᵉ ᶠᵘck-
> 
> my tumblr : @zyruuu


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